Ball projector



May 2 195@ R. E. BARNES 2,506,190-

BALL PROJECTOR Filed Jan. 19, 1948 u uwi INVENTOR Ray E Earnas,

ATTORNEY Patented May Z, 1950 D s PA'lEN-T-` o FEICE 4.2,506,190 -BALL 'PROJECTOR'.

Ray E. Barnes, Seattle, Wash'.

Application January 19, 1948, Serial No. 3,079

1 Claim.

This invention relates to game apparatus, and more particularly to a mechanical device for kicking a ball, and resembling a human ligure.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a manually operable game device for dropping and kicking a football.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a device in the form of a human figure wherein the arms and one leg are simultaneously operable for respectively dropping and kicking a football.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of the character described, comprising simplicity of organization, economy of construction and eiciency in operation.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto are preferably accomplished by a device which is formed to resemble the human figure, and includes a body with one leg rigidly attached thereto for supporting the ligure in a vertical position, the other leg being pivotally suspended from the body. A pair of arms are movably mounted on the body and extend in front of the body to terminate in hands which in closed position will grip a ball immediately above the pendulous leg. The head is provided with inclined neck portions and mounted on a plunger that is slidable vertically through the body and terminates above the pendulous leg portion rearwardly of the leg pivot. By this arrangement, when the head is depressed the arms are moved apart to release the ball from between the hands, and the pendulous leg is simultaneously cammed forward by the plunger to kick the ball after it is dropped from the hands.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. The invention itself. however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures and in which:-

Fig. 1 is a front view in elevation of a mechanical kicking device in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device;

Fig. 4 is a side view in elevation of the device in operation; and t Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the device in operaion.

Referring now to the drawings:

The mechanical kicking device of the present invention comprises a base I4 rigidly supporting a leg I5 that in turn rigidly supports a body portion 22. A second leg I9 is pendulously supported by a, pin 23 carried by the body 22 and leg I5. The pin 23 is adjacent to the forward portion of the leg I9 and the rearward top portion of the leg is curved to form a cam surface 28.

A pair of arms 20 and 2| are formed integrally with shoulders which rest on top of the body 22 and are pivotally attached thereto by pins 21 adjacent their rear inner corners. A compression spring 26 is anchored between the front portions of the arms or shoulders to pull the arms to closed position. It will be noted that the arm 20 is angularly arranged to be slightly shorter than the arm 2| so that in their closed position the ball will be held immediately above the swingable leg I9. A bore 36 extends vertically through the body 22 and opens from the bottom of the body immediately above the cam surface 28 of the leg I9. The head I6 having inwardly inclined cam-forming neck portions I1 is supported by a plunger I8 that is slidable in the bore 30. The shoulder portions of the arms 20 and 2| are recessed to accommodate the plunger I8 and cooperate with the cam surfaces Il. The plunger is slotted to receive a pin 25 to limit the movement thereof and is biassed upwardly by a return spring 24.

In operation, a ball B is placed between the hands of the arms 20 and 2|. To eect the kicking action, the head I6 is then manually depressed so that the neck cam surfaces Il will bias the arms 20 and 2l apart to release the ball, and simultaneously the plunger I8 will bear down on the cam surface 28 to cause the leg I9 to swing forwardly and kick the ball B as it drops toward the leg I9.

Although a certain specific embodiment of the invention has been described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in so far as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claim.

Having described my invention I claim:

In e, game apparatus, a mechanical device for kicking a ball and resembling a human ligure, comprising a body portion rigidly supported by a leg fixed to a base, a central bore vertically through said body portion and opening adjacent said leg, a leg pivotally dependent from said body portion and having a cam-shaped portion rearwardly of vits pivot and underlying said opening, arms pivoted to said body portion, spring means REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Bass Aug. 24, 1897 Wale July 3, 1900 Conner Apr. 30, 1901 Russell July 31, 1906 Rigney Dec. 1, 1908 Wittstein July 13, 1915 Pierson V Sept.24, 1918 Bain et al.l /De'c. 16, 1919 Green May 26, 1925 Michaelian Sept. 8, 1925 Johnson Sept. 29, 1925 Welna Mar. 30, 1937 

